For athletes and non-athletes alike, college is a time to make mistakes and learn from them, to get away with a few blunders before entering the real world.
Ten years ago, those mistakes could be made quietly and without much outside knowledge and criticism. Today, thanks to social media sites like Twitter, even the most minor of frustrations are blown out of proportion in 140 characters or less.
UCLA’s latest Twitter frenzy spawned from the fingertips of freshman safety Tahaan Goodman, who expressed his frustration to the Twittersphere Sunday after playing significantly less in UCLA’s Saturday win over Nebraska than he had in the Bruins’ opener against Nevada.
“I guess I ain’t good enough and haven’t been working hard enough to touch the field,” Goodman tweeted.
Coach Jim Mora said Twitter, among other social media sites, is an integral part of today’s social interaction, and that to take it away from his players would be “ignorant.” He also indicated that mistakes, both on and off the field, are a part of growing, and that after speaking with Goodman yesterday, an impassioned tweet is a mistake his young defensive back can learn from.
“(Goodman) didn’t mean anything malicious by it. He’s a great kid. He’s a good-natured kid, he was just feeling a little frustration and it is what it is,” Mora said. “(Twitter is) a forum to be heard, but you just have to be sure you’re presenting the right message at all times. It’s so easy to type something out, push send and you never get it back. They’re hard lessons to learn.”
For players like Goodman, a U.S. Army All-American and consensus four-star recruit, seeing a few reps from the sidelines is a foreign concept, but one Mora said is not indicative of work ethic or coaches’ attitudes toward any particular player.
“It’s just a reflection of the way the game went,” Mora said. “Every game is different, and they always have to be ready. They always have to be prepared to get in there and compete.”
Backwards-Running Quarterback
Just a year after torching UCLA’s defense for 112 yards and a touchdown on the ground, Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez was held to negative-13 yards rushing on 10 carries against the Bruins on Saturday.
Defensive line coach Angus McClure said that his players didn’t change anything schematically during halftime. He merely told them to “get thick” in order to knock back the Cornhuskers’ offensive line.
Last year, the Bruins had a more populated pass rush against Martinez, but it lead to open creases that made him a more imminent threat on the ground. This time around, UCLA’s defensive linemen absorbed more blocks as a line, effectively keeping the senior quarterback near the pocket.
“We emphasized all week to keep him inside and in front of us and either let him throw the ball or we’ll eventually get there,” McClure said. “We didn’t pressure him very often, and our guys did an outstanding job.”
The Bruins sacked the elusive Martinez just twice Saturday, but said that if they continue to isolate quarterbacks in the pocket, the stats will start to pile up soon.
“Sacks will come, but stopping the run and stopping your opponent and having them have to pass, that’s where the sacks are going to come,” said freshman defensive tackle Kenny Clark.